Twenty four hours later,
Moscow, Kremlin.
At this moment, Brezhnev was sitting in front of two of the most crucial figures during this extraordinary period, Ustinov and Andropov.
"Andropov, comrade, first tell me what your KGB has discovered."
"Comrade General Secretary, just an hour ago, I received reports from border troops across the country. In their reports, they all mentioned changes in the border anomalies.
In areas where auroras appeared in the early morning, the colors of the auroras are now deepening, and at the same time, they are extending downward.
In regions where fog appeared in the Far East, the fog is now rising and turning into low clouds. The reports from the Far East border troops now mention that the fog seems like a border wall built along the border, while in areas where auroras appeared, they describe the auroras they see as a colored wall."
"An hour ago, I also discussed with Comrade Ustinov and coordinated joint probing operations with our border troops and the Air Defense Force to investigate these anomalies.
According to the reports from the Air Force, once they entered the auroras and fog, all electronic instruments on the aircraft malfunctioned, and the engines shut down. They had no choice but to return to base.
Our border troops sent soldiers to try to pass through these anomalies to see what happened, but without exception, they walked for a while and ended up back at the starting point.
Furthermore, we also had a good talk with the ambassadors of NATO countries. So far, no country has acknowledged responsibility for causing these anomalies.
I suspect these anomalies might truly be caused by an unknown enemy, just as I mentioned early this morning. Also, until now, we still haven't been able to establish contact with any forces or individuals beyond the national borders."
Brezhnev remained silent, only looking at Ustinov and asking, "Comrade Ustinov, how is the mobilization of the military proceeding?"
"Reporting, Comrade General Secretary. Following your order for total mobilization, we have assembled 500,000 recently retired reservists from across the country and have begun deploying them to various divisional positions.
At this rate, we can complete the replenishment of all divisions by the end of today, and after a brief training period, they will be ready for deployment.
As for the newly formed units, preparations are underway. We have already conscripted one million people nationwide and need some more time to complete the conscription of the remaining four million.
Regarding their weapons and equipment, we have enough light weapons to supply them, and I have instructed various military factories to work in three shifts to increase production.
Simultaneously, we are modernizing some outdated equipment to quickly provide these new units with tanks and armored vehicles.
These individuals have been retired reservists for many years, so to make them combat-ready, it will take at least a week of training.
Regarding the deployment of troops, approximately 300,000 forces from Central Asia and the Far East are currently en route by train to the Moscow Military District, ready for duty."
In the Soviet Union, every male reaching the age of eighteen had to serve a two-year military service to ensure the swift formation of new units in the event of an attack on the Soviet Union.
After listening, Brezhnev did not speak immediately. After a brief pause, he said,
"Good, for now, let it be. Inform all border troops to be prepared for defense. Don't cross the border for reconnaissance until our forces are fully prepared. I want to see whether it's the strength of my Soviet army or the strength of this unknown enemy that prevails. You may go."
Twenty-four hours after the radar became inoperable,
Lubyanka, KGB Headquarters.
Andropov, busy throughout the day, had just slept for less than an hour. He had spent the day coordinating investigations into the anomalies at the border, yet there was no clue. Only an hour ago, he had instructed his subordinates to take a short break and then continue the investigation.
At this moment, a leader from one of the departments urgently knocked on the door.
"Comrade Chairman, urgent report from the border troops."
Upon hearing this, Andropov immediately sat up from the sofa, opened the door, and took the report from his subordinate. At the same time, the subordinate began explaining the report he had just received.
"Comrade Chairman, five minutes ago, we received reports from border troops nationwide, stating that the anomalies at the border are dissipating. They are requesting further instructions on whether to send people to repeat today's reconnaissance.
Meanwhile, our radar has resumed operation, but we still cannot contact the fleets and garrisons abroad, nor can we reach the satellites."
"No need. Let them prepare for defense. Since the radar has resumed operation, it indicates that our enemy is also about to arrive. Submit this report to the Ministry of Defense for their preparation. Have the border troops remain vigilant and report to me when the anomalies have completely dissipated," Andropov said.
One hour later,
The same subordinate knocked on the door again.
"Comrade Chairman, border troops nationwide have reported that the anomalies have completely dissipated. However, strangely, in their reports, they also mentioned that the terrain beyond the border has changed entirely.
The Baltic Sea has completely disappeared and turned into a plain. Various islands in the Arctic and the Far East have now connected to the mainland. They also mentioned that the original Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have turned into land.
The former Arctic Ocean has now become continuous mountain ranges, and the Pacific, Mongolia, North Korea, and the northeastern region of China have become swampy areas similar to Belarus.
The weather in Siberia is warming, and the snow is starting to melt. In Central Asia, the reports indicate that the Caspian Sea has now truly become a sea, and the borders that used to be adjacent to Iran, Afghanistan, and the Chinese province of Xinjiang have turned into coastlines.
The Caucasus region seems to have become a peninsula, and areas that were originally all mountains have now become a desert.
Belarus and Ukraine report that the Carpathian Mountains are gone, and the terrain has not changed much, still an endless expanse of great plains. Ukraine also reports that the Azov Sea has now turned into land, but the good news is that the Black Sea remains a sea and has not disappeared."
"In addition, we have also reestablished communication with the ships executing missions abroad. As for the stationed troops abroad, we are still working on restoring contact.
Some of these ships report that they have run aground on land, while others are operating normally either on the sea surface or underwater. Comrade Chairman, do we need to organize a rescue team to bring back the crews of these stranded ships?"
After listening, Andropov immediately picked up his coat and headed out, saying, "Immediately contact Comrade Ustinov and accompany me to see the General Secretary. Also, organize an airborne rescue team to pick up these sailors.
Try to return before dawn, take as many as possible. If the distance is too far and there isn't enough time, let them defend themselves on the spot, and we'll pick them up tomorrow night. Those ships that can still navigate should return immediately."
Fifteen minutes later,
By now, Andropov had reported the border situation to Brezhnev.
"Comrade Andropov, if I didn't mishear in my old age, you just said that according to the border troops' report, our country has, like something out of science fiction, crossed over?"
After saying this, he looked to Ustinov beside him.
"Comrade Ustinov, if what Comrade Andropov said is true, how does our military plan to respond?"
Ustinov quickly spoke up,
"Comrade General Secretary, starting from tomorrow, the Air Force will collaborate with the Border Troops to cross the border and investigate these newly emerged terrains. If necessary, our Field Army stationed at the border will also cross to support the Border Troops in their investigation.
As for the progress of mobilizing the army, we have already deployed some replenished divisions to various border cities, ready to provide immediate support if war breaks out. Additionally, we will attempt to relaunch satellites to better understand our current situation and geographical location."
Indeed, what the people of the Soviet Union had not anticipated was that they were no longer on Earth; instead, they found themselves in a realm called Astalia, filled with magic, mythical creatures, curses, and various mythologies.
Meanwhile, back on the original Earth, a few hours after the disruption of the Soviet radar, countries worldwide began to realize that they could no longer contact their personnel stationed in the Soviet Union.
Calls to the Soviet embassies and foreign ministries rang unanswered. Even the President of the United States attempted to use the dedicated phone lines for communication with Soviet leaders, but aside from the embassy's line, none were reachable.
The Soviet ambassador responded, stating that they also couldn't contact the homeland and were unaware of the situation.
In the various Warsaw Pact countries with Soviet troops stationed, sudden disappearances were noted. Border troops in Poland and Romania reported being unable to see the Soviet borders and territories.
NATO countries with Soviet military presence started to worry that the Soviets might be planning something similar to the previous Spring exercises. Some nations even secretly reached out to NATO, inquiring if they had received any intelligence.
A silent unease enveloped the Earth as if all nations were immersed in wordless fear.
NATO intelligence analysts, after thorough analysis, believed that the Soviets were likely preparing for war, speculating that at any moment, Soviet tanks might come charging toward them. Consequently, NATO member states began mobilizing.
The United States initiated troop embarkation to sail toward Europe, and various rapid response units were deployed to different corners of Europe.
However, as the NATO nations were prepared to face a Soviet onslaught, they saw no sign of Soviet presence. Combined with intelligence from various Warsaw Pact countries, many began to suspect that something unusual was happening within the Soviet Union.
US military aircraft attempted to cross the borders into Soviet airspace in the Far East, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Still, they encountered an unseen force preventing them from reaching the Soviet borders.
After relaying this information to their headquarters in the United States, the response was to continue relentless attempts to enter Soviet airspace, insisting on uncovering the truth about what was happening in the Soviet Union.
Finally, 25 hours after the radar disruption, a high-altitude reconnaissance plane from the US military successfully entered Soviet airspace. What the pilots witnessed left them wide-eyed. The land that once belonged to the Soviet Union had turned into an expanse of water.
Upon relaying this information to the US headquarters, most officials expressed disbelief until an increasing number of reports from various locations confirmed the unimaginable reality.
As news of the entire country of the Soviet Union disappearing spread globally, each nation was deeply shocked. The sudden disappearance of the world's second most powerful country within a day seemed incomprehensible.
Some countries celebrated the Soviet Union's disappearance. Germany, for instance, rejoiced at the prospect of reunification without Soviet control. Poland, with a longstanding enmity towards Russia, celebrated the successful expulsion of Russian influence.
Other countries were filled with despair. Vietnam lost a major source of weaponry, and Eastern European nations lost a crucial benefactor.
Simultaneously, the disappearance of the Soviet Union presented opportunities for ambitious nations. Several countries harboring aspirations sought to fill the void left by the Soviet Union and challenge the world dominance of the United States.
The question of who would step into the position of the world's second superpower and continue challenging the global supremacy of the United States became a matter for speculation, though these considerations remained speculative at this point.